Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-10-21
INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE.
Tho Explanation OF a Very Interesting
PuzZla
Cincinnati Commercial Gazette.

Cincinnati Commercial Gazette.
What is the international Date Line, .
and on what meridisn is it located?
Our correspondent seeks information
on curious and Interesting subject
Taking for granted familiarity with the
rotundity Of the earth ana its daily revo-
luton from west to east on It's axis, Ii
will not be difficult to grasp the idea of g
date line, or the line marking the places
where the days of the week are as
sumed to begin and end. The interna-
ionsl date line marks the boundary be
tween places settled by men who sailed
from the east and those settled
by men who came from the west. When
it is Sunday west of this line it is Satur-
day east OF it. There seems to be an i'm
preston that 1902 east or west from
Greenwich is the point at which this
change of date occurs. This is, how
ever, not the case. The line Is very If
regular one, located mainly in the Pacific
ocean and extending from pole to pole.
Along the date lines dates must be made
later by one day when crossing it from
the east to the west, and earlier by one
day when crossing it from west to east.
The earth reEolves on its axis from
west to east every twenty-four hours
Suppose person stsrtiDg from any given
meriiian at the moment of sunrise on
Monday morning was able to travel due
west with the same speed with which the
earth revolves eastward, he would make
the Journey around the earth and arrive
st MS starting point in exactly twenty
four hours. Twenty-four hours of time
RlQnepd RI this frauolor 10
has been on the point Of rising all the
time, and to him it would still be sunrise
Monday morning, while TO his family 1t
would, OF course, be sunrise Tuesday
morning. He has apparently lost 8 dsy.
Now, suppose he was to stsrt at noon
on Tuesday and travel eastward at the
same rate of speed with which the earth
revolVes eastward on its axis. He would
make the Journey SrOund the earth in ex-
actly twenty-foar hours. 1t would be
noon when he reached the opposite side
Of the earth and noon again when he re-
turned to his starting point. He would
have three Moons in twenty-four hours
Ga his return it would seem to him to be
noon, though his family would
assure him it was Only Wednesday noon.
He would apparently have gained q
day by travelling eastUard. For ev-
cry degree one travels westward it
is necessary to turn back the hand
Of watch four minutes, in order to keep
the time of the meridians crossed. Every
traveller on east and west lines, even on
c mparatively short journeys, is aware of
this gain or loss of time. When we travel |
around the earth, ID either direction,
there is difference in time Of one day, |
the result being the same without regard |
to The rate of speed. To avoid this con-
fusion OF dates, some line has been deter |
mined upon sr which eastern bound trav-
elers add day, and westward bound |
travellers drop day from their reckoning. /
This lire is what is meant by the date /
inc.
The calendars used in the civilized
World originated iH Rome. Communities
ion from Rome westward would natnr-
lily be considered earlier in time, at the
'ame instant, While eastward commune
Elton would DC considered later In time,